There was pandemonium on Sunday evening at the popular vegetable market off Airport Road in Benin City the Edo State capital, when a woman was kidnapped after her husband fought off the kidnapers and escaped.
The incident happened near the residence of former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi.
She was said to be at the market with her children and husband when gunmen reportedly came to the scene in a commando style. They reportedly shot at two tyres of their vehicle where her husband was said to be waiting for her.
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In a video sighted by our correspondent, a woman who claimed she witnessed the incident described the incident as kidnapping, stressing, "today, for the first time, I experience kidnapping in my life."
She said she she fell while trying to save the children of the woman.
Showing a video of mud stained clothes inside her car said: "I saved the woman's children today. This is me. It happened in front of me. We were both buying something in the same place, at the vegetable market. This is me, I have bruises. This is my legs."
In what looked like footages from a CCTV, the assailant who alighted from a red vehicle shot at the tyres of a grey colour vehicle and dragged the driver suspected to be the woman's husband into their vehicle.
But he struggled out of the vehicle and ran away while the gunmen pursued him, few seconds after the gunmen dragged a woman back into their car and sped off.
Police confirm kidnap
A radio message said to be from the Command Office of the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) sent a alert message to all its formations alerting them that the suspected kidnappers were said to be on ESSC uniforms, and should stop and search all red colour vehicles, arrest any ESSC personnel not in any unmarked vehicle, any personal in their area that they are not familiar with and take the to the nearest police station or the ESSC office.
Contacted, Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the incident but said it was not kidnapping but abduction.
She said: "I'm aware there was an abduction incident in that area earlier today and we are already investigating the matter.
"The woman, her children and husband went to Vegetable Market to buy some things after the close of service when they abducted her."
Asked what could have led to the abduction, Ikoedem said, "For now we cannot release any information regarding that to the public as investigation is still ongoing.
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"But at the appropriate time we will let the public know. The husband, the family members are all cooperating with us in our investigation."
